Poems - Piet Hein

7/25/2019 Poems - Piet Hein

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Classic Poetry Series

Piet Hein

- poems -

Publication Date:

2004

Publisher:

PoemHunter.Com - The World's Poetry Archive
http://www.poemhunter.com/http://www.poemhunter.com/


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A Psychological Tip

Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,

and you're hampered by not having any,the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,is simply by spinning a penny.No - not so that chance shall decide the affairwhile you're passively standing there moping;but the moment the penny is up in the air,you suddenly know what you're hoping

Piet Hein



A Reproof

In view of your manner

of spending your daysI hope you may learn,before ending them,that the effort you spendon defending your wayscould be better spenton amending them.

Piet Hein



A Tip

Those

who can writehave alot tolearn from thosebrightenoughnot to.

Piet Hein



A Word of Encouragement

Stomach-ache can be a curse;

heart-ache may be even worse;so thank Heaven on your kneesif you've got but one of these.

Piet Hein



A Word to the Wise

Let the world pass in its time-ridden race;

never get caught in its snare.Remember, the only acceptable casefor being in any particular placeis having no business there.

Piet Hein



About Denmark

Why not let us compromise

about Denmark's proper size,which will truly please us all,since it's bigger than it's small.

Piet Hein



Abreast

He who aims

to keep abreastis for eversecond best.

Piet Hein


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Ars Brevis

There is

one art,no more,no less:to doall thingswith art-lessness

Piet Hein



Atomyriades

Nature, it seems is the popular name

for milliards and milliards and milliardsof particles playing their infinite gameof billiards and billiards and billiards.

Piet Hein



Brave

To be brave is to behave

bravely when your heart is faint.So you can be really braveonly when you really ain't.

Piet Hein



Constitutional Point

Power corrupts,

whereas sound oppositionbuilds up our freedemocratic tradition.One thing would makea democracy flower:having a strong opposition-in power.

Piet Hein



Good Advice

Shun advice

at any price -that's what I callgood advice.

Piet Hein



Grook About Faith, Love, etc.

She gave me hope

she gave me love,with bounty unalloyed.But what she had of faith,alas,she gave to Freud.

Piet Hein



I'd Like -

I'd like to know

what this whole showis all aboutbefore it's out.

Piet Hein



Investment Policy

Anxieties yield

at a negative rate,increasing in smallnessthe longer they wait.

Piet Hein



It Isn't Enough

One paramount truth

our society smothersin petty concernwith position and pelf:It isn't enoughto exasperate others;you've got to rememberto gladden yourself.

Piet Hein



Living Is -

Living is

a thing you donow or never -which do you?

Piet Hein



Making an Effort

Our so-called limitations,believe,

apply to faculties we don't apply.We don't discover what we can't achieveuntil we make an effort not to try.

Piet Hein


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Meeting the Eye

You'll probably find

that it suits your bookto be a bit clevererthan you look.

Observe that the easiestmethod by faris to look a bit stupiderthan you are.

Piet Hein



Memento Vivere

Love while you've got

love to give.Live while you've gotlife to live.

Piet Hein



Naive

Naive you are

if you believelife favours thosewho aren't naive.

Piet Hein



Nothing Is Indispensable

The universe may

be as great as they say.But it wouldn't be missedif it didn't exist.

Piet Hein



On Being Oneself

If virtue

can't be mine aloneat least my faultscan be my own.

Piet Hein



Out of Time

My old clock used to tell the time

and subdivide diurnity;but now its lost both hands and chimeand only tells eternity.

Piet Hein



Prayer

Sun that givest all things birth

Shine on everything on earth!

If that's too much to demandShine at least on this our land!

If even that's too much for theeShine at any rate on me.

Piet Hein



Presence of Mind

You'll conquer the present

suspiciously fastif you smell of the future-and stink of the past.

Piet Hein



Problems

Problems worthy

of attackprove their worthby hitting back.

Piet Hein



Reflection on Size

Small people often overrate

the charm of being tall;which is, that you appreciatethe charm of being small.

Piet Hein



Rhyme and Reason

There was an old woman

who lived in a shoe.She had so many children.She didn't know what to do.But try as she wouldshe could never detectwhich was the causeand which the effect.

Piet Hein



Saturation

The heavens are draining,

its raining and raining,and everything couldnt be wetter,and things are so badthat we ought to be glad:because now they can only get better.

Piet Hein



Similarity

No cow's like a horse,

and no horse like a cow.That's one similarity, anyhow.

Piet Hein



Small Things and Great

He that lets

the small things bind himleaves the greatundone behind him.

Piet Hein



Stone In Shoe

If a nasty jagged stone

gets into your shoe,thank the Lord it came alone-what if it were two?

Piet Hein



T.T.T.

Put up in a place

where it's easy to seethe cryptic admonishmentT.T.T.

When you feel how depressinglyslowly you climb,it's well to remember thatThings Take Time.

Piet Hein



The Egocentrics

People are self-centred

to a nauseous degree.They will keep on about themselveswhile I'm explaining me.

Piet Hein



The Noble Art

The noble art of Losing Face

may one day save the Human Raceand turn into eternal meritwhat weaker minds would call disgrace.

Piet Hein



The Only Solution

We shall have to evolve

problem-solvers galore-since each problem they solvecreates ten problems more.

Piet Hein



The Road to Wisdom

The road to wisdom? Well, it's plain

And simple to express:Errand errand err again,but lessand lessand less.

Piet Hein



The State

Nature, our father and mother,

gave us all we have got.The state, our elder brother,swipes the lot.

Piet Hein



The Ultimate Wisdom

Philosophers

must ultimately findtheir true perfection

in knowing allthe follies of mankind-by introspection.

Piet Hein



The Unattainable Ideal

We ought to live

each day as thoughit were our last dayhere below.

But if I did, alas,I knowit would have killed melong ago.

Piet Hein



The Wisdom of the Spheres

How instructive

is a star!It can teach usfrom afarjust how smalleach other are.

Piet Hein



Those Who Know

Those who always

know whats bestarea universal pest.

Piet Hein



Thoughts on a Station Platform

It ought to be plain

how little you gainby getting excitedand vexed.

You'll always be latefor the previous train,and always on timefor the next.

Piet Hein



Time

Does time exist?

I gravely doubt it.But gosh, what should we dowithout it?

Piet Hein



Time and Eternity

Where the woods and ploughlands

of tradition and modernityrun into the never-endingdeserts of eternity,there I have my daily taskwhile time smoothly passes,spooning the eternal sandsinto hour glass.

Piet Hein



Timing Toast

There's an art of knowing when.

Never try to guess.Toast until it smokes and thentwenty seconds less.

Piet Hein



Two Passivists

Eradicate the optimist

who takes the easy viewthat human values will persistno matter what we do.Annihilate the pessimistwhose ineffectual cryis that the goal's already missedhowever hard we try.

Piet Hein



Wanting to Be Able To

'Impossibilities' are good

not to attach that label to;since, correctly understood,if we wanted to, we wouldbe able to be able to.

Piet Hein



What Love Is Like

Love is like

a pineapple,sweet andundefinable.

Piet Hein



What People May Think

Some people cower

and wince and shrink,owing to the fear ofwhat people may think.There is one answerto worries like these:people may thinkwhat the devil they please.

Piet Hein


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Poems - Piet Hein

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